1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that is used by a plurality of users belonging to one same group to share data stored in a storage area that is allowed to be accessed only by the group users, a data processing method used in the image processing apparatus, and a data processing program stored in a computer readable recording medium to make a computer provided in the image processing apparatus execute image processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
In recent years, an art is generally used, wherein personal storage areas used by individual users respectively, and a group storage area that is used by a plurality of users belonging to one same group and allowed to be accessed only by the group users, are created in a recording medium such as a hard disk drive (hereinafter to be referred to also as “HDD”) of an image processing apparatus represented by a MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that is a multifunctional digital machine. With this image processing apparatus, a user copies data such as document data, image data, etc. stored in his/her own personal storage area to the group storage area, so as to share information with the other group users.
Meanwhile, another art is heretofore known, wherein original data is not physically copied to a copy destination but reference information that is pointer information pointing to the original data stored in a storage location of a storage area is stored in a copy destination, so that the storage capacity of an HDD, etc. can be saved. And when a user makes access to the reference information, the original data stored in the storage location, to which is pointed by the pointer information, is called out and displayed. And thereby a result that is the same as expected in the case of physically copying the original data to a copy destination is drawn.
However, this art described above still leaves an issue. That is, if the original data happens to be changed (updated, deleted or etc.), the reference information is also changed accordingly, and a user cannot call the original data any more even if makes access to the reference information. Similarly, in such a case where reference information pointing to original data is stored in a group storage area and thereby the original data is copied to the group storage area, if the original data happens to be changed after some of the group users make access to the reference information stored therein, different data will be provided to the users having made access and the other users not having made access, which could not achieve information sharing among the group users.
According to an art disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-362418, if file data to which is pointed by pointer information happens to be updated, the file data is temporarily stored. And when a user makes access to new pointer information after the update, a notification is transmitted to let him/her know that file data to which is pointed by the new pointer information is not the original file data, and he/she makes selection whether or not to receive the updated data, and then his/her selection is accepted.
However, this art disclosed in the publication above still leaves an issue. That is, even if users belonging to one same group would like to share data, they tend to make different selections whether or not to receive the updated data. And some users who select receiving the updated data and the other users who do not select receiving the updated data will have different data, which could not achieve information sharing among the group users.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.